In Darkness

In Darkness is the story of Leopold Socha (Robert Więckiewicz,) a sewer worker and petty thief in Lvov, a German occupied city in Poland, who encounters a group of Jews trying to escape the liquidation of the ghetto, and hides them for money in the labyrinth of the town’s sewers beneath the bustling activity of the city above. What starts out as a straightforward and cynical business arrangement turns into something very unexpected, the unlikely alliance between Socha and the Jews, as the enterprise seeps deeper into Socha’s conscience. The film is also an extraordinary story of survival as the men, women and children in hiding all try to outwit certain death during 14 months of ever increasing and intense danger. IN DARKNESS was filmed on location in Poland and Germany as well as Berlin’s Studio Babelsberg where the crew and cast worked in recreated water-filled sewers.

‘84th Annual Academy Awards’ Down to Nine Foreign Language Finalists

Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category.

‘In Darkness’ Picked Up by Sony Pictures Classics

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all US rights to Academy Award nominee Agnieszka Holland's In Darkness from sales agent Beta Cinema. The film, based on the true story In the Sewers of lvov by Robert Marshall, is written by David F. Shamoon and stars Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Fürmann (North Face, Merry Christmas), Maria Schrader (Aimee & Jaguar DVD) and Herbert Knaup (Run Lola Run, The Lives of Others). In Darkness is produced by The Film Works, Schmidtz Katze Filmkollektiv and Zebra Films.

In Darkness is set in 1943 and the Polish town of Lvov is occupied by the Nazis. Poverty grows. One day the selfish thief and burglar Leopold Socha encounters a group of Jewish refugees - and hides them for money in the labyrinth of the town's sewers. At first only interested in lucrative business the whole thing reaches more and more Socha's conscience. The Polish small-time crook makes up his mind and finally risks his own life for the refugees...